Open Primaries – Alaskans for Better Elections

Alaska's Elections are as Independent as Alaska Voters

There are over 300,000 voters in Alaska that do not identify with either of the two major parties—more than half the state. Every Alaskan should be able to vote in Primary Elections for any candidate.

The Open, Pick 1 Primary ensures that every Alaska voter has the right to have their voice heard—regardless of their political affiliation.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 15 states have open primaries, including states as varied as Alabama, Hawaii, Michigan, Montana, and Texas. Two more states—Washington and California—have top-two nonpartisan primaries, in which the two candidates who receive the most votes in the unified primary election advance to a general election, regardless of party. The measure’s top four system would improve on the top-two model by offering voters more choice in the general election while maintaining the requirement that candidates win with a majority.